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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

12 of the Best & Favorite of Toho's Godzilla Series

I first saw this oft used image in a library book at school about Godzilla. It was a series of books that featured many of the most famous monsters including those from Universal, King Kong and also The Blob. Of course, the Godzilla book was my favorite; google images

I've long been a fan of Japanese giant monster movies (called Kaiju Eiga over there) for as many years as I can remember. They were one of, if not the very first types of fantasy cinema that attracted me to the wonderfully varied world of monster pictures. Below is a list of twelve films that I think are the best of the entire run of Toho's classic series. Some of these below are also favorites and not necessarily what I'd say were a great film in the truest sense of the word, but all below definitely entertain with some being more serious than others. So if you're a fan, get your monster on and prepare to stomp Tokyo in this Monster March of Godzilla adventures!

GODZILLA 1954 aka GOJIRA aka GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS

Directed by Ishiro Honda

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Born from the success of the American monster opus, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) and the devastating effects of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings, Ishiro Honda's timeless and universally frightening atomic allegory is just as potent today as it was over 50 years ago. Over the years this first film (and its succeeding ones) were generally dismissed by critics, but since its original Japanese version has become more widely known, it has garnered its long deserved respect and recognition in most circles. Sadly, these movies will always be the butt of jokes regarding their effects work, but there's no denying the raw power contained within Honda's maiden monster effort. Several scenes still pack a powerful punch even today.

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The next film in the series, the quickly produced GODZILLA'S COUNTERATTACK, attempted to capture the grim atmosphere of Honda's original, but failed to recreate the doom-laden aura and the somber spirit of martyrdom inherent in Honda's effort. A brilliant work of artistry, GODZILLA is destined to become one of the most important science fiction films of all time not only for its historical significance, but what the film itself represents--a devastating commentary on Japan's grueling survival amidst post WW2 fallout. If you were to ever see just one Godzilla movie in your lifetime, it should be this film and in its preferred Japanese language edition.

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA 1962 aka KINGU KONGU TAI GOJIRA

Directed by Ishiro Honda

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The third consecutive film to feature the gigantic radioactive lizard as a villain, Toho writers were granted permission to use King Kong in what would become the reigning box office champion of the entire Godzilla series to date. The script, such as it is, basically melds elements of the original KONG and GODZILLA biding its time till the plot finds a way to bring the two towering titans together for an epic confrontation.

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The original Japanese version played up the comedic aspects of the script which was considerably toned down in the English version, a vastly different cut of the film featuring a musical score culled from other films (such as CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) and even footage from Toho's THE MYSTERIANS (1959). While the Kong suit may be the source of much critical contempt from fans, the movie is fondly remembered and it has one slam bang of a battle royale, totally delivering on its title. The goofy charms foreshadow where the series would be headed by the end of the decade. A monumental meeting of the mightiest movie monsters and one helluva good time at the movies.

Simply put, one of the best of the entire series as well as one of the most thoroughly enjoyable science fiction films ever made from any decade. Honda's movie is armed with some of the best special effects of Tsuburaya's career. His non Kaiju films had a striking realism about them, but his work here is incredible. The frightful countenance of Godzilla seen in the first two B/W movies is reinstated for this fourth epic outing, which also happens to be the second appearance of the enduring Kaiju character, Mothra.

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Never a favorite beast of mine, Mothra nonetheless is utilized extremely well here and the plot, the characters, the music, the effects and the performances all combine to create one of the best, most immersive of the Japanese giant monster canon. Released in America as GODZILLA VS. THE THING, that version was a first for the series--it had a monster sequence exclusive to the English dubbed cut. Outside of that, the dubbed version (like most of the first US releases of Godzilla pictures) is a respectable release in its own right. In typical AIP style, they tried to hide "The Thing's" true origin from fans leading patrons to believe it would be some multi tentacled titan facing Godzilla. Initially, I was disappointed when I learned it was Mothra as a kid. I wouldn't truly appreciate the majesty of this movie till much later.

Having had great success with the introduction of Mothra, Toho opted to create yet another new monster, only this time, the creature would bear a more vicious visage than the more passive deity of Infant Island. This creature came from space. The script (by frequent series collaborator, Shinichi Sekizawa) introduced threats from outer space for the first time in the series and in a serious form much like Toho's extravagant forays in sci fi fantasy seen in previous pictures.

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After this, villains from beyond planet Earth were far more comic book in design, getting more outrageous as the series wore on. Here, the aliens are passive and are here to warn of an impending attack by a planetary demolisher named King Ghidorah, which arrives on Earth housed within an egg masquerading as a meteorite. The plot has its share of intricacies combining Kaiju conventions with Yakuza/spy antics. It's here where Toho's favorite son became a hero to the world much to the delight of children everywhere. Rodan makes its second appearance in a far less fearful guise. Toho went all out on this one and deliver a delightfully enjoyable movie that has something for everyone.

An absolute fan favorite, MONSTER ZERO is one of the long running series' most celebrated movies benefiting greatly from a superb, stunningly footloose performance from Nick Adams, an American actor whose ego was brought down a few notches after his failed rallying for a Best Supporting Actor award in 1964. He became a much loved component of the Toho crew and ultimately became a beloved friend to a handful of his co-stars, including Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno. His immensely likable, spirited performance endeared him to many fans of the Godzilla series and contributes greatly to the enjoyment of this massively fun little film.

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The plot is pure juvenile joviality--aliens from Planet X wish to borrow both Godzilla and Rodan to rid their world of the conquering Kaiju, King Ghidorah. It all turns out to be a ploy to gain control of Earth's mightiest monsters in an insidious plan to take control of the Earth. So much good can be said here, but it's not all 'bells and whistles'. The practical use of stock footage in later films reared its ugly head here as a few stock shots from previous movies crop up. Monster silliness is also on hand, but really, if such things bother you, how can you call yourself a true fan of Godzilla?

Fans are uniformly divided on this one, a seriously compromised, but nonetheless fascinatingly personable monster film in light of its difficult production history. Unfortunately, the revered effects magician, Eiji Tsuburaya was immersed in numerous other projects at the time including action shows like ULTRASEVEN, MIGHTY JACK and the wonderful OUTER LIMITS type show, the little discussed OPERATION: MYSTERY. In addition, he was also hard at work constructing creatures and warships for the even more chaotic co-production, LATITUDE ZERO (1969).

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The abundance of stock footage has been the major negative levied at the film. Generally dismissed by many, GODZILLA'S REVENGE is a heartfelt ode to latch key kids and the loneliness that surrounds them from overworked parents. Ichiro's only real friend is his vivid imagination. A unique motion picture in Toho's fantasy series, Godzilla is seen as just that--a hero in a boy's fantasy. There's even a HOME ALONE style sub-plot involving thieves who end up kidnapping the little boy. Bullied at school, Godzilla's son, Minya, teaches little Ichiro how to be brave and tackle his own problems which he does by films end. It's a touching film and a special film for a small number of fans, of which I am one.

The Godzilla series was on a downward slope during the 1970s. The use of stock footage became more and more commonplace, but for its 20th anniversary of Toho's leapin' lizard, the studio wanted something spectacular. A team of scriptwriters (including director, Jun Fukuda) came up with this wild and wacky tale that mixes simian aliens, spy movie shenanigans and ancient myths. Throw all these ingredients into the pot and you get something like GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA, the first of five cinematic interpretations of the mighty metallic monstrosity. In yet another outer space invasion story arc, alien apes dressed in silver suits leave their home on the third planet from the Black Hole to take over the Earth using their colossal cyborg creation, Mechagodzilla.

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Boasting an impressive roster of weapons, Mechagodzilla was inspired by the Mechani-Kong seen in KING KONG ESCAPES (1968), but this monster metal head was a far more impressive contraption. A legendary Kaiju in the form of King Seesar is also on hand as is Godzilla's friend, Angilas in a guest starring monster battle against Mecha G disguised as the real deal. Some rather extreme scenes of bloody violence, both on humans and monsters is evident here in a film that was originally released in America as GODZILLA VS. THE COSMIC MONSTER till Universal intervened. Masaru Saito's music is also incredibly catchy, if diametrically different from Akira Ifukube's more familiar sound. Mindless entertainment of the highest order and a must see for fans both old and new.

TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA 1975 aka MEKAGOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU (REVENGE OF MECHAGODZILLA) aka THE TERROR OF GODZILLA

Directed by Ishiro Honda

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Honda's last Godzilla movie and one of the best, most serious entries of the long running Toho series. Gone are all the childish accoutrements that accentuated so many of the past movies. Not that they were a bad thing, but this more adult approach was invigorating and a refreshing change of pace. It was all for nothing, though, as the public was growing tired of Godzilla. Superior in its script and performances, it's a direct sequel to the previous production and carries some of the best characterizations mirroring any number of classic and likewise tragic Chambara pictures of the past. Ifukube's oppressively somber score matches the gloomy atmosphere and is one of the maestro's best compositions.

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The Black Hole aliens are at it again, but now, their hidden simian features are replaced by a more mutant lineament. This time, Mechagodzilla has been recovered from the bottom of the sea and reconstructed with an increased annihilatory capacity by a disgraced human scientist. His discovery of an aquatic dinosaur led to his excommunication from the scientific community. His daughter, turned into a cyborg by the aliens, houses Mechagodzilla's brain in her stomach! This is easily the most "grown up" Godzilla movie of the 1970s and the best of that batch. The script is also successful in depicting both monster and man working together. This G film had one of the most confusing and tainted histories up until a few years ago when it was released in a definitive and uncut edition in America.

GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE 1989 aka GOJIRA TAI BIORANTE

Directed by Kazuki Omori

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A direct sequel to 1984's GODZILLA, Kazuki Omori took the helm of this unusual, thoroughly bizarre, but nonetheless enjoyable film in Godzilla's 80s resurrection. Omori was an odd, but genius choice to direct a G film considering he didn't even like Kaiju movies. He brought a decidely fresh approach to the series that saw Godzilla's DNA being sought after by scientists, the US military and Middle Eastern terrorists! Dr. Shiragami uses Godzilla's irradiated cells to create a bio weapon to hopefully use against the great beast as a deadly deterrent. He also experiments with plant life genetically engineering a frightful creation that's part plant, part Godzilla and part the spirit of his dead daughter! If that weren't enough, there's also the first appearance of popular series character, Miki Saegusa, a psychic girl and the all new Super X2.

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Godzilla is freed from his volcanic tomb and battles the military, the Super X2, confronts Miki the psychic and then dukes it out with Biollante on a couple of occasions, one of which sees our gigantic 'Little Shop of Horrors' transform into a combo crocodile and something out of Carpenter's THE THING! Released to DVD everywhere else in the world but America, it's become a fan favorite over the years. The Japanese disc in particular is packed with amazing extras. This was Koichi Kawakita's first outing as chief effects artist and still contains some of his most impressively inventive work. By 1995, his effects became tired, boring and repetitive. Quite possibly the single most diverse entry in the entire G series.

Maasaki Tezuka was brought into the Toho fold for this creatively daffy entry about Godzilla taking on an interdimensional dragonfly beastie let into our world after the test of a new counter G weapon creates a rift in time allowing the prehistoric monster to enter our time. In all of the directors three G films, a female plays the main character, bearing a grudge against Japan's resident atomic fire breather. The anti G weapons and aircraft are wonderful additions to the mythos and the Meganulon monsters were last seen in RODAN (1956). Despite its lack of box office clout, Tezuka brought a freshness to the monster sequences that hadn't been seen since the old days. It's also a first in that a human character actually rides on Godzilla's back at one point in the film.

The special effects are a step up and would only increase with the next few films (minus the last one). The tone changes a couple of times. There's also some gory moments involving the Meganulons eating humans. Female composer, Michiro Oshima created a hugely enjoyable, bombastic score and contributed compositions for Tezuka's two other G films. My favorite Godzilla suit design is also on show here. Tezuka would also direct two additional entries in the Millennium, or 'X' series of Godzilla films between the years of 2000 and 2005. He was arguably the most capable of capturing the Honda style in his films. This is mostly apparent in his last in the series--GODZILLA X MOTHRA X MECHAGODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. (2004).

Shusuke Kaneko, the director of the GAMERA trilogy from the late 90s was courted by Toho to participate in this, the most successful picture of the Millennium series. For the first time in years, an obvious, if darkly sinister connection is made between Godzilla and the souls of those killed in WW2. The big G represents all those killed in the war and acts as their instrument of revenge on a society that has all but forgotten them. Ancient mythological elements apparently fascinated Kaneko as he ports those ideas from his Gamera trilogy into the Godzilla series, too. Kaneko's inherently dark style is extremely noticeable here producing the closest Godzilla ever came to an actual horror film since the very first GODZILLA back in 1954.

Three Earth guardians are destined to battle Godzilla in the form of Baragon, Mothra and King Ghidorah. Quite a few liberties were taken with the monsters here. Godzilla's look was overhauled and King Ghidorah was turned into a good guy and a major wimp who dies at least twice during the movie. Baragon is a hero creature as well and the only holdover from the script. Originally, Kaneko wanted Angilas and Varan in addition to Baragon as the battling beasts against Godzilla, but Toho disagreed allowing him one of his picks. The ending of the movie is very repetitive, but Kaneko's take on the material has quite a lot of good things going for it to maintain its status as a major fan favorite. It's also the only film to ever showcase mankind on an equal plane with the monsters and it's a man made weapon that actually brings down the Big G at the end. Things would "get back to normal" with the next entry.

GODZILLA X MECHAGODZILLA 2003 aka GOJIRA X MEKAGOJIRA

Directed by Maasaki Tezuka

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Despite his moneymaking outing, Kaneko wasn't asked back, so action specialist, Maasaki Tezuka returned for this energetic and financially prosperous film that trots out Mechagodzilla one more time. Toho was wary to use new monsters in their films considering the lackluster returns of the ambitiously fun, if uneven MEGAGUIRUS, so familiar creations were employed. MG was one of the studios most popular and since his last incarnation in the mid 90s (GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA) was profitable, an all new design was called for. The plot shares similarities with MEGAGUIRUS with its lead female character, vengeful against Godzilla for the death of her commanding officer. A new military weapon, utilizing the bones of the original Godzilla, is constructed in the hopes of repelling the living, breathing natural disaster. Referred to most of the time as Kiryu, this robotic double battles the Big G in a series of tight action sequences rife with ingenuity.

One of the best scenes is where Kiryu malfunctions and goes on an uncontrollable rampage with no means to stop it till its batteries run out! Wild weapons include the Absolute Zero cannon, a freezing weapon built into the chest of Kiryu. Unlike its 70s incarnations, Mechagodzilla has been a man made monstrosity since its 90s rebirth. The character would feature in the next film, a direct sequel that plays out like an additional 90 minutes that was cut from this film. That one's even more an homage to Honda's 60s style, but aside from a new look to Mechagodzilla, it's more of a companion piece to this movie. Tezuka was unfortunately not chosen to helm the last Godzilla film for a number of years. Hopefully, he'll get a chance at another monster film in the future. His knack for imaginative set pieces is a strength that vibrates through all three of his Godzilla pictures, especially this one.

19 comments:

Great post! Though I watched Godzilla movies on TV Saturday afternoons like many of my generation, and loved them, I must admit my adult G-movie experience has been quite limited. Still, it's not hard to appreciate giant monsters and atomic fear-subtext. I don't think we've got a Kaiju entry on MMMMMovies--maybe it's time I rectified that.

Wow dude, I have never seen any of these! I told you I was going to start a Godzilla marathon soon...and its bound to happen at some point! I'd love to start with that original (Gojira) and follow it with the one where he fights that plant creature (Biollonte is it?) which looks pretty cool!

Thanks for that awesome list, I will no doubt feed from it in the days to come.

Good list, I'd put SEA MONSTER (Fukuda's best entry I think), HEDORAH, RETURN OF GODZILLA/84 and KING GHIDORAH though instead of KING KONG, ALL MONSTERS/REVENGE, MEGAGUIRAS and MECHAGODZILLA 2002 though.

I've written a Godzilla script mostly for fun. It's even darker than Kaneko's with a tone kind of like VIRUS by Kinji Fukasaku but with an element of brutal political satire tossed into the mix. America gets the blame for causing these monster attacks (nuclear testing), George W. Bush is the villain and the US army gets deployed to Tokyo where they make total asses of themselves before firing a nuclear missile at Godzilla which only makes him stronger. Godzilla destroys Los Angeles at the end and fights the mythological Yamata no Orochi.

venom, our local movie palace (Proctor's in Schenectady) is holding a kaiju marathon tomorrow but I probably won't make it out there. Too bad, now that you've put me in the mood. Kong vs Godzilla is one of my all time faves for pure entertainment, and I find the US version pretty hilarious. I'm glad to hear that's not a betrayal of the original. I could want more love for the Smog Monster here. It's a uniquely bizarre entry and you can empathize with G's indignation at having to deal with such a stupid abomination. The only one I ever saw on a big screen was what we call Godzilla 2000, and that was a hoot and a half with the absurd dubbing ("Gott in Himmel!")and a super battle at the end. Those were the days....

@ Vicar: Some of us grow out of these things, but they're great for nostalgic reminiscing if you wanna feel like a kid again. For the esteemed MMMMMMovies site, I'd like to make a suggestion and maybe a classic review mixed with a newer one?

@ Fran: Actually, Fran, you were the main reason I wrote this last night. I recalled that you were curious about some of the movies so I thought I'd whip up a list of titles I think are choice. Granted, there are other movies in the series I think are good, but these are the cream of the crop for me.

@ J.L.: Dude, I hear ya! I wrote me a script outline for a Godzilla flick, too, a number of years ago. I flirted with stretching it out to feature length at some point. Mine was a bit similar to Carpenter's THE THING and was pretty gruesome and dark as hell. I did have GODZILLA '84 on here and took it off last minute. I think KING GHIDORAH is mostly awful save for a few spots particularly the scene where Godzilla remembers the old man before flaming him in his building. Best scene in the movie, I think. It does finally get good during the finale, though. The Japanese cut is a bit better, but the gaping plot holes are still there. I would have liked to have seen Omori do another G film, though.

@ Sam: Wow, I wish we had something like that close by me. They have these kinds of film fests in Durham once in a while, but it's not advertised, at least not out my way. The original version of KKVS.G is more humorous, at least more than I was expecting it to be the first time I saw it after a friend of mine made fansubbed versions of all the movies. They both are worth watching, if not for comparative purposes. SMOG MONSTER's not a fave of mine, but I do like it. Yeah I saw GODZILLA 2000 in theaters, too, and hated the treatment it got. I already had the original Japanese version and it was no great shakes, but the dubbed version was ridiculous as expected and that ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES 'The End?' title card was like a slap in the face. I also saw GODZILLA 1985 in the theaters and, at the time, thought it wasn't too condescending, but the original Japanese version is vastly preferable there, too.

Wow, cool man, thanks for making this post, it will certainly prove useful! I'm a rookie when it comes to Godzilla movies, but I will quickly remedy that; already put the original Gojira at the top of my q!

Brian, totally agree about the BIOLLANTE love, after the original and possibly GMK, it could be my favorite entry, period. I love what Omori brought to the series (hence my affinity for KING GHIDORAH as well). Whether one likes or not, he definitely had vision and I really wish he had directed MOTHRA and DESTOROYAH.

I wish Kinji Fukasaku had gotten to make a Godzilla movie. Would he have done either really dark and serious and even darker and more human tragedy oriented than Honda's original ala VIRUS or his yakuza movies or would he have done it all campy and glamorous ala BLACK LIZARD, MESSAGE FROM SPACE, EIGHT SAMURAI, etc, who knows.

Ironically, the dub of MAN BEHIND THE SUN is done with almost exactly the same voice cast as BIOLLANTE, it's a surreal experience indeed.

I also agree that ALL MONSTERS isn't that bad. My impression now is that it's not even supposed to be part of the series' timeline, it's set in the real world where Godzilla is a fictional character I think and all the monster scenes are daydreams with absolutely no precedence in reality. It's more enjoyable when approached with that mindset, it's just about a boy's sort of inner struggle.

Ah! I believe I saw some of those very same books at my elementary school library, venoms5!

Great post!

Of course, I haven't seen all the Godzilla movies, but having been down your "12 Best" list, I agree on those I've had the pleasure to look at!

The Sony/Classic Media deluxe reissues of the earlier films are very nice, though I was disappointed to find out sometime after Gojira/Godzilla came out in the US on DVD and BD, a better remastered print of the film (a steadier picture, too) was released in Japan! (It'll be years before the upgrade makes it here, if at all.)

After Gojira, I like both versions of Mothra VS. Godzilla; the English version keeps fairly faithful to the Japanese version.

Before Steve Austin and the Bionic Bigfoot, we had Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla; so much pure fun!

Has there been an import DVD release of the Japanese version of King Kong VS. Godzilla? If only Universal had that coupled with the English one like the Sony reissues.

@ Fang: Sorry, Fang, I seem to forgotten to respond to you, apologies! I think the MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA was likely the most faithful, respectful English version to the series in terms of presentation. Only the English version is available in America, sadly. There's gorgeous quality boots of the original, though. Well, the Japanese print wasn't in the best of shape, but it was all they had. It's good, just not as stunning as some of the company's other releases.

@ J: I've always had a soft spot for GODZILLA'S REVENGE. Ever since seeing it on the late, late movie on ABC in the early 80s. One of the main reasons I like it is I used to be a latchkey kid, too. Omori really hit BIOLLANTE out of the ballpark, but kind of stumbled a bit with ambitious beyond its means KG.

I saw G2000 in the theater after having gotten the Japanese DVD. There was about ten minutes of differences if I recall. I thought the English dubbed version was horrendous, though. Absolutely stupid dialog and the theatrical version had this ridiculous 'The End?' title card font laid over the last shot. It was removed for the DVD release, though.

Hi, Gialloman. I recently re-watched those three Gamera films from Kaneko. I enjoyed the overly dark, adult nature of all three. The second is my favorite of that trilogy. The third is good, but gets too bogged down with dialog much of the time. That last scene was incredible, though. The lighter in tone fourth Gamera movie was pretty good, too. I was hoping they'd continue making them, but I think the box office wasn't so great for it.

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I've been a huge movie buff since childhood catching old horror and monster flicks on Shock Theater and kung fu movies at the drive-in during the late 70's and early 80's. I've had a long time fascination with, and appreciate all genres of fantastic cinema, good and bad. One fans cheese is another fans juicy steak. I like both equally and seldom find a film I truly dislike as I will find something of interest in just about anything. The bulk of the films or tv series' seen here are mostly from my childhood, or films I own in what has become an Amazing Colossal DVD collection.